Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-10-11
THE BUILDING BOOM.
WHAT Has BEEN DONE BIZ OUR PEOPLE
DURINGTHBSEAS0N
Drawing 10 a ClOss-Nsarly Fifty Houses Erected
Upon he Island AlOns-Nsarly IS Many on the
South Side--fAs Population Increasing Fast

rs to the facts can for a moment doubt.
In fact, taking the record of population for
the past year, and comparing it with the
census Of the city made in 1886 and pre-
vious years, it is doubtful if any town in
the country as old or anything like as old
as Wheeling, can show the progress this
city has made in the twelve months end
ing with the present time. The census
made by order of the Board Of Education
for school purposes during the month OF
July, showed an increase in the population
for the year of something in excess OF
1900, and that, too, at a time when the
torrid heat of summer had driven hun
dreds of our citizens to seek
comfort and recreation outside the
limits of the town, many of these tourists
on q small scale being necessarily COM
pletely lost sight of By the enumerators.
The total of the census thus made gave the
city a population slightly in access OF that
set down to our credit by the very thorough
enumeration of the government census
takers, in 1880; and this gratifying show
ing after two or three years Of uneXampled
business and manufacturing depression had
depleted our population by causing work
men and others to seek more favored locali-
ties, demonstrated beyond the shadow OF
a doubt that Wheeling is going ahead
again ut a rate she has never before at
tanned During the past three months
this progress has not only been maintained,
but has been augmented, and to-day there
is no doubt but that if the population of
the city was gagged by the same rigid
standard applied by the government
enumerators ID 1880, the town would
show a total of not far from 81, 500 souls,
or an increase of . 5T3 over the school Gen.
sus of 1886, when the total returned was
29, 1927.
This is gratifying; but it is only a sam
ple of what the future has in store for US.
The large manufacturing enterprises just
starting or to be put in operation with the
advent OF spring assure us an increase Of
at least 800 over the figures here given,
and the REGISTER feels confident that the
inst of next June will see Wheeling with
the very comfortable population OF "a,
That there has been a very considerable
growth within the recent past Is confirmed
by the large number of new dwelling
houses, many OF them of n beautiful order
of architecture, and therefore costly, put
under contract or completed in the resi-
dences quarters OF the city, to say nothing
of the substantial business houses which
have been put uD on both the North and
South Sides. These new dwellings are
especially thick in the Seventh and Eighth
wards, the improvements in these two To-
~calities a~ggregating fully Sl25, 600. On
that part of the Island lying
south of Virginia street, forty
six new residences have been
built or are in process Of completion, the
resulting change in the topography being
very marked. Take the tract OF land
living south OF Ohio street and east of Penn
street as an example. A year ago it was a
corn field, and did not present = particu-
larly inviting spot for a city 4 Now
A visitor would not know the place, so
marked has been the change. New streets
and alleys have been opened, water and
VA pipes laid, and houses have gone up
right and LEFT AS if by magic. And the
surrounding territory has almost kept
- an,~ - Nha 9kraat5 in fhta tRipIfy
shows twelve new houses on South Front
street, fifteen on Vermont street, four on
Florida street, One on Fink street, and
eight on South Penn street, or a total Of
forty. There has also been erected, or are
building, two on Ohio street and four on
Virginia street. Many of these houses, rs
We have said, are really line dwell
ings, aS, for example the Queen
Anne house of Mr.. Ed. Rose, the
splendid brick of George Lutz, the ornate
frame of Justice w. II. Caldwell, the
handsome frame houses of Mr.. James
Cecil and Mr.. James Maxwell, and the
equally nice T sidences of Mr.. Sands and
Others. Some of the houses not yet ON
pleted are even ahead OF those mentioned,
as, for instance, the brick now building for
Mr.. James Cummins. The inquiry for
eligible lots in this portion Of the city Is
brisk, and several owners Of lots have
about made arrangements TO improve
their property in the spring with fine ress-
denCes. In all about a dozen new dwell
ings are talked of here. and il is expected
many more will be added to this number
with the temperance of the building
season.
The approaching sale Of the Old Fair
Graunds lots, 100 in number, is also ex-
pected to start a building boom in that
direction, and quite q large addition TO
the Seventh ward may be expected ont
there as sOon as the ownership OF the
property is divided up in small lots. At
the present rate, it will not be long until
the Island is the most populOus, rs it is
the most beautiful, ward in the city.
The great rival OF the Garden Spot
in the matter of new buildings is the
Eighth ward, although the Fifth has made
some progress, and the Sixth a good deal.
One OF the finest residences in the lower
end OF the city is that just completed b.
Mr.. Charles HOrstman, at the intersection
of Jacob and FOrtieth streets. This
I6SluenCe dltIdClS sSutiai attChtiOu iiOiu
paSsers-by, and is an ornament TO the pOr-
ton of the city in which it is located.
Mr.. John Gavin is building a ine residence
at Twenty-ninth and Eof streets; DIR.
Ackermann one on Chapline street, between
T~wenty-third and Twenty fourth streets;
John Coleman q combination residence and
business house at Tw~enty-ffth and Chap
line streets; F. H. LaDge has built three
fine residences on the north side of
Twentieth street, near the intersection Of
ChSpline, and others are dotted here and
there over the South Side. Of smaller
residences, there are quite a number, the
growing more numerous as u approaches
the southern limits of the city. This fact
is largely due to the Inauguration of new
indastEisl establishments down that way,
such ~ the big table works at BenwoOd,
which, while not in the city. has eHerted
a very beneficial effect by creating a de-
mand for small houses.
This same cause is going to create q big
demand for small dwellings in the Fifth
and first wards before long. The inaug-
urat,On of ma Warwick DOttery OH SOuth